


max steel??

by maleficentWatermelon



Category: Max Steel - All Media Types
Genre: ironic, its just written out like a book
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-13 04:52:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18025040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maleficentWatermelon/pseuds/maleficentWatermelon
Summary: its jsut one of the netflix shows written like a book also i barely remember writing this fuck meeethis is ironic dont kill me





	1. Chapter 1

Prologue  
High above planet earth, a green and white spacecraft zips by in a blast of bright blue energy. It’s manned by a whooping african american man known as Jefferson, who exclaims something about being called “Captain Kaboom.” A high pitched beeping sound rings out, heralding a message-  
“Ferrus to SkyTeam One. Kat, any sign of the ultra-link yet?” The hologram accompanying shows a large, brown-eyed man with a stubble, who looks anxious.   
“No visual yet, commander.” Kat, the co-pilot, a woman with short blond hair, answers swiftly.  
“Ultra-link coming up on scopes now. Time to target: T-minus 30…” exclaims Berto- a skinny tech master with headphones around his neck.   
“Right. Nice and easy, people. Remember, we want to capture the blasted thing, not activate it.” Commander Ferrus reminds the team. Suddenly, three orange and black ships materialize out of swirling red particles, and speed through the air. Onboard, there are robots piloting. The three orange ships rival the green one in a race to the metal, vaguely spherical object in the middle.   
“We’ve got three unidentified spacecraft.” Jefferson barks, quickly.   
As the ships begin to fire orange laser, Berto adds, “Unidentified hostile spacecraft!” He spins in his chair, and the enemy ships fire again.  
“These guys are packin’ some serious firepower!” Jefferson exclaims, hands tightening on the wheel.   
“Do not lose the target, Jeffer--” Ferrus says as Jefferson mutes the radio.  
“A little busy right now, old man! Whoah!” The deadly red darts are dangerously close to the little spaceship. One makes contact, causing Jefferson to yell “Engines 2 and 4 are gone!” The lasers are increasing in frequency now, as a single robotic arm extends from the top of the craft, bathed in a blue light. A beam extends from it two the metal object, a tractor beam. It is snapped up in the green craft, pursuited by the orange ones. “The cake is in the oven.” Jefferson says, proud of himself.  
“And our friends here still want a slice!” Berto exclaims, pointing out the windshield. A huge hook launches out of one of the enemy crafts, glowing red. One from each craft latches on to the single green one, sizzling with crimson electricity. A laser begins to cut at the center. Jefferson hollers, then steps on the gas, driving his ship forward and slamming the two ships with hooks in his, triggering a massive yellow explosion. The remaining orange spaceship darts at the green one, which is now trailing smoke. Jefferson loops around it, grits his teeth, and fires a missile. It hits its target, and blows the remaining enemy ship out of existence, the green ship spiraling down towards earth.   
“SkyTeam One to base. We’re coming in hot!” Jefferson says as a frantic beeping sounds through the shuttle. Kat presses a button, and a jet of water sprays at the fires on the back, extinguishing them in a puff of smoke. Jefferson groans, and evens the ship out with great effort. As it swoops over the red mountains of Copper Canyon, the tip of one mountain disappears, and Jefferson guides the blackened and scarred craft over the top of it, then lowers it inside where scientists and armored men begin to rush at the landing ship before it finishes making contact with the metal floor. “Ultra-link’s ready for unload.” Jefferson’s voice can be heard over someone’s earpiece. “It’s in the airlock, guys.” The arm lowers the hunk of metal from space onto a floating metal table as men in labcoats watch. As soon as it leaves the grip of the arm’s pinchers, a blue field surrounds it, holds it in place, as the table floats off, scientists following close behind. The space object is fitted with a cage, where many just like it are held in by blue barriers, all lined up next to each other. There are only a few open spaces left. The door, made of thick, heavy steel, slams shut after the scientists leave.   
“Wonder why this one’s not locked up?” one asks.   
“Well, that one hasn’t been functional for years- a relic from the past.” They glance at the sphere held in stasis at the center of the room, almost on display, and keep walking. They don’t notice when it pulses blue from the inside, and if they did, they’d probably just think it was their imagination.


	2. chapter 1....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you cannot comprehend how much it hurts that this is the longest thing ive ever written

Chapter One  
Maxwell McGrath kicks the door open with his foot, and stumbles down the front steps with two large boxes, grunting. It’s moving day for the McGraths, again. Halfway down the front walk, the bottom of the box gives out, and several barbells and a few books fall clattering to the ground. Max’s mother appears at his shoulder.  
“Really, Max? You’re bringing your weights? You never use them.” she questions, not unkindly.  
“No wonder they’re so hard to lift.” Max replied, smiling.   
“It’s really gotta just be the stuff we need.” Mrs. McGrath reminds, touching his chin affectionately and walking towards the house as several children run up.  
“We’re gonna miss you, Max!”  
“Yeah, I’m gonna miss you two weirdos too.” Max teases the three children in front of him. “Say, anyone interested in a slightly used weight set?” he asks, only half joking.   
“Hey, is this you?” One of the boys holds up a picture, snatched curiously from a box already in the waiting moving van.   
“Uh, no. That’s, uh… that’s my Dad. He’s- he’s not around anymore.” Max looks down at the picture, his father hugging his pregnant mother in front of the trees. “Hey, uh, why don’t you guys help yourself to whatever’s in this box of goodies, huh?” Max waves his hand and walks closer to the back of the truck, eager to change the subject. “We got stuffed animals, action figures…”  
“Thanks, Max!”  
“...video games…” The game console Max had just picked up sparked suddenly in his hand, making him yelp and drop it. “Guess they don’t make them like they used to, huh? Alright, now you go on, get outta here! And keep in touch, you crazy kooks!” As the kids run off, Max’s mother walks out with another box. She sighs and takes the framed picture from him.  
“Okay! New town, new job, whaddaya say, kiddo? Ready for a new adventure?” Max sighs.   
“Are we ever gonna stay in one place?” He asks, but his mother has already gone around the side of the truck and got in the driver’s seat. Max get into the passenger seat as Mrs. McGrath starts the engine, driving off.  
“They’re on the move!” Forge Ferrus says into his earpiece, standing in the street where the car was not ten seconds ago.  
“Copy that, Commander.” Kat’s voice replies.  
***  
“Technology. It’s our heart. It’s our soul. Here at Trans-Human Industries, we are creating the future-- today. From the food you eat, to the air you breathe, THI is Transforming the Human Experience. THI. Let us become part of you.” The voice of Mr. Naught echoes through the meeting room, as the man turns around.   
“Brilliant! Ground breaking! And your hair, impeccable!” the small group of people have learned not to cross Naught.   
“Order a blanket media buy.” Mr. Naught interrupts, silencing the group immediately. “And-” he is caught off by his phone ringing. “Alright. Get lost.” he snarls at the suited men and women in front of him. “I’ve got business to attend to.” He sits down at the desk he formerly was standing in front of, slipping a thin hand under the desk to press a hidden button. After a beep, a cutout of floor around his chair drops with him on it through the floor, closing up after it. Under the floor, he is presented with an orange holographic computer display, which immediately upon his arrival changes to a man’s face, half covered by a mask, with piercing red eyes.  
“You have news, Mr Naught?” he demands.  
“Good news, sir.” Naught speaks as if saying the wrong word will get him killed, which isn’t untrue. “Sales are up. 78 percent--”  
“What of the Ultralink?” The man snaps, impatient.  
“Well, I’m afraid the news on that front isn’t quite as… rosy?” Naught nervously replies, messing with his shirt’s neckline. “Our forces were driven off… by uh… N-Tek.”  
“N-Tek!?” The man asks incredulously, then coughs. Naught gulps nervously. “If we do not find a suitable energy source to keep me alive, all that I have done, all that I have planned, schemed, stolen will be for nothing. I MUST HAVE TURBO ENERGY!”  
“We’ll redouble our efforts. Sir.”  
“Do not fail me! If this clock reaches zero, it won’t just signal my end, Mr. Naught.” With that threat hanging in the air, the man on the screen ended the call.   
***  
“Now, let’s get a move on. We both have big first days! Me at work and you at school!” Max’s mom was being way too enthusiastic for him, and he groaned, sloshing his cereal. “C’mon, it’ll be great! New friends! Cafeteria food! Tons of homework!”  
“Yeah, a regular paradise on earth.” Max responded, gesturing vaguely with his spoon before dropping it back into his bowl.   
When he left, he took his bike, zipping up towards Copper Canyon High, driving it smoothly into the rack and hopping off in one movement, before running along the wall and railing. Whipping his helmet off, he was met at the front door by a busy hallway filled with the chit-chat of a couple dozen high school kids. On one side of the hallway, a group of larger, intimidating boys perked up as soon as they caught sight of him. Max sighed. Bullies, for sure. He walked straight past them, but the middle one in the yellow shirt stuck his foot out at the last second, sending Max sprawling with a yelp of exclamation, but not before slamming into a slim, green-shirted back.   
“Have a nice trip, see ya next fall!” The one who tripped him chuckled, mockingly tipping his hat at him. The group of them walked out, still giggling.   
“Really?” Max groaned, “People still say that?” Max asked out loud, not really expecting an answer. He began to pick up the papers littering the ground around him.  
“Nah, it’s pretty much just him.” Max was surprised, but he didn’t show it.   
“Don’t tell me. School bully? What’s his name? Moose? Biff? Flash?” Max asked, gathering the papers. The girl with brown eyes smiled.   
“Bartholomew. But they call him Butch.”   
“The stereotype lives.” She handed a textbook to him, they looked each other in the eyes, and he took it. Slipping it in his bag, he realized that he was already almost cleaned up.   
“Welcome to Copper Canyon High, new guy.” Max looked up to see a surfer-dude looking guy, in a green hat over long-ish hair. “A wretched hive of scum and villainy. I’m Kirby.”  
“And I’m Sydney.” The girl added. Sydney.  
“Hey. Max.” he introduced himself, right as the bell rang.   
“Well, see ya around.” Sydney said. “Max.” She was pretty, and seemed really nice. Kirby too.   
After school that day, as Max walked out to his bike, helmet in hand, he heard laughing behind him. Turning, he saw the three bullies from earlier, tossing a backpack, with Kirby running back and forth between them, desperately trying to reclaim it. Butch had his hand on Kirby’s head, dark grey backpack just out of reach, before throwing it to a kid in a red baseball cap. Max was already on his bike, pedaling as fast as he could, as he snatched the book bag out of the air, braking.   
“Come on, guys, this is the twenty-first century.” Max teased. “Don’t you do your bullying online these days?” He tossed the retrieved backpack at Kirby, who was promptly pushed aside by a very angry Butch. “So I help the kid getting picked on an’ now I get picked on. That’s not very original, Bartholomew.” Max drew out the last word, decidedly baiting him. Butch almost blushed, as his friends urged him on, silently. Time to go…. Max did a wheelie, snatching Butch’s hat from his head and knocking Butch on his butt. “See ya next fall!” Max parroted, because he couldn’t resist. He chucked Butch’s hat back at him, hitting him square in the face.   
“After him!” Butch yelled petulantly. All bullies were the same. Max was already pedaling, but the three bullies were ripped, and fast, so they were soon at a dangerous distance. Suddenly, as Max turned down another street, his eyes widened, and began to glow blue. His feet were suddenly pedaling much faster than before, as a strange noise began to ring out. Max was going really, really fast, leaving the bullies in the dust.  
“What?” Max asked out loud, looking back. When he looked forward again, he began to yell- he was seconds from hitting a truck. His bike hit the truck, now stopped at a light, and he flew straight through the side and into the back.  
“There he is!” Butch yelled, the three still on Max’s tail. With a single kick, Max blew the back doors of the truck open, and tossed the helmet to the side of the road, leaping out of the truck. The yells of the bullies-on-wheels grew closer- there was no way Max could outrun them. But once again, the blue saved him, and he began to run faster than he ever had before, faster than the Butch gang on bikes. He turned down an alleyway.  
“What’s happening to me?” he asked, no one in particular, as his cellphone began to ring. He answered. “Hey, Mom, can’t talk right now.”  
“Max? It’s Sydney. From school.”  
“Sydney?” his voice rose at the end. “Ah… oh, hey! How’d you get my number?”  
“I didn’t.” Max ran across a road, and hurdled a car. “I got your phone. And you’ve got mine. Musta gotten mixed up this morning.”  
“How’d I miss that?” Max said, more to himself then Sydney, staring at the pink phone in his hand.   
“Let’s meet up tomorrow and swap.”  
“Uh, yeah! Yeah, sure.” Now eager to end the conversation, Max hoped she wouldn’t say more. “I uh--” The phone suddenly fizzed, and he yanked it away from his face. He gasped as one of the bullies grabbed his shoulder. Another one grabbed his other with a self satisfied chuckle. They picked him up off the ground, his feet still struggling for purchase.  
“Who’s headed for a fall now, hero?” one of them said, and they dropped him. He slid to a stop, still on his feet with Sydney’s phone still in his hand. The two bullies flew off a flight of stairs, having not been paying attention, one crashing on impact and the other crashing into a dumpster at the bottom. Max turned to see Butch careening towards him, too angry to be careful. Max darted down another side alley, but Butch was much faster, fueled on rage. For a third time, the blue adrenaline like reaction fueled him, and he raced faster than ever, just out of Butch’s grasping fingers, and leaped at least 20 feet into the air over a fence, and continued flying through the air as Butch slammed into the fence. Max crashed into a warehouse, yelling his voice box out. He rolled perhaps halfway across the warehouse, knocking over barrels left and right.   
“What’s happening to me…” Max groaned. Then he passed out.   
***  
When Max woke up, the bullies were all three striding towards him. They began pounding their fists, but as soon as they reaches for Max, he pushed up from his position on his stomach with his eyes bleeding blue light. He jumped high in the air.   
“Get him!” they yelled. Butch swung at Max, but Max dodged and retaliated, knocking Butch to the ground as bully number 2 dove at him, but he jumped over him, sending him sprawling. Butch jumped up and ran at him, and Max threw him, using his momentum, into a pile of barrels. The fight continued on in this way until Max leaped up into the air, the light leaking from his eyes, twisting as he fell. With all three bullies on the floor, Butch yelled in a panic- “Let’s get outta here!” They run down the stairs, practically sobbing.  
“That was- AWESOME!” he exclaimed, arms out to the side as the blue energy seeped out of his eyes and arms. “I’m awesome?” this time as a question. Suddenly, the energy increased, and several lights exploded in a rain of orange sparks.   
“What is happening… to me?!?!” A huge amount of energy surged through him, obscuring his now horrified expression.   
The building exploded, sending objects nearby tumbling.   
***  
A pulse of blue expands on a field of orange. “Sir! We just recorded a massive surge of Turbo Energy!” a tall, enthusiastic, blue eyed man exclaims.   
“There is no Turbo Energy on this planet.” came the cold reply from Mr. Naught. “Except for the boss.” he adds. “And he’s almost toast…”   
“Largest Turbo surge ever recorded! In this city!” Naught shoves the man off his computer system, and watches the blue pulse for a moment.   
“Well, don’t just stand there jabbering! Sound the alarms! Release the hounds! Do whatever it is you do, but bring me that source of Turbo Energy!” Mr. Naught shoves the man. If he doesn’t get this right, there may not be another chance.  
***

“He’s waking up. Call Forge.” A kind looking woman, in armor, and a skinny young man in a messed up labcoat are standing above Max when he wakes up.   
“Give us a minute.” A deeper voice orders from his right. The two people file out without question. He looks in that direction, and sees the man he last expected to see.  
“Uncle Ferrus?” Max asks, unable to believe this. “What’re you doing here? Ow…” he tries to sit, legs swung over the edge of his bed. “Where am I? Whoa. What the heck you wearing?” decked in armor, green and white, with a large gash taken out on his left shoulder.  
“Welcome to N-Tek.” as if that answers.  
“Uncle Ferrus? What’s happening to me?” Max asks, the confusion showing in his eyes whether he wants it to or not.   
“Come with me, kid. I’ll explain.” Uncle Ferrus has sympathy in his.  
***

“Sir, I have incredible news!” Mr. Naught blares like a circus master.  
“Tell me you’ve found an Ultralink.” his tone is threatening, the man on the screen, always threatening.   
“Even better!” Naught drawled. “We’ve detected a massive surge of Turbo Energy. Point of origin: Copper Canyon.” Ever the salesmen, Naught always sounds like he’s trying to sell.  
“Mr. Naught. Suspend all Ultralink capture operations immediately. We’re going to hunt down this new Turbo source! And I know just the hunter for the job…” forever dramatic, the man ended the call.  
In his office, the man pulls up a different call. A fiery humanoid beast is shown immediately on the holo computer, and it doesn’t look happy to see him.  
“You?!” It snarls, obviously annoyed. “I told you if you were ever to contact us again I would--”  
“Yes, yes, hurting, breaking, maiming, I remember. But I have an assignment mutually beneficial to both of us, Elementaur.”  
“I am… listening.”  
***

Somewhere in the bowels of Trans-Human Industries, a woman is swiping through a file she shouldn’t be seeing. Mr. Naught rises up behind her, in his magic chair.  
“Something I can help you with? he asks, steepling his fingers. The woman barely covers it, but she jumps.  
“Oh, Mr. Naught. I thought you were gone for the night. I was told to place these reports on the desk. Ah, Molly McGrath.   
“This is my private office.” he snaps.  
“I’m sorry, sir… it’s my first day on the job.” she exclaims, backing away. She gives a halfhearted chuckle. “It won’t happen again.” she turns and walks out the red, double, sliding doors. What Mr. Naught doesn’t know or care particularly is the small sigh and smile she gives once she’s clear of the office.   
***

Back at N-Tek, Forge and Max stroll unhurriedly down a long hallway, deep underground.  
“Your father, he started all this--”   
“You worked with my dad?” Max asks, eyebrows raised. It’s not everyday you got to hear about Jim McGrath.  
“We founded N-Tek. Well, us and Miles. Miles Dredd. He also passed.” Forge looks sad at this, brown eyes glancing at the floor beneath them.   
“Wow…” Max sighs, gazing at the room before him. A spaceship sits gleaming in the center. “This is crazy. I.. I had no idea…”  
“N-Tek is a secret organization. We work towards solving the big problems - global warming, alternative fuel sources…”   
“So… what’s the awesome tank for?” Max asks.  
“C’mon. This way. There’s something I think you’ll wanna see…”  
After a moment of walking, Max and Forge arrive at a medium sized, green room, with a hologram of a man in the center.  
“Dad?” Max asks. “Whoa…”   
“Your father was an amazing man. He had discovered one of the rarest, most powerful types of energy in the universe - Tachyon Unlimited Radiant Bio-Optimized Energy - Turbo Energy for short. But there was an accident. All your father’s work was destroyed… Along with your father and Miles Dredd. This was the last thing your father was working on before the end.” In the center of the room they are now standing in as a case, five sided and walled with blue beehive-patterned translucent walls, containing a metal sphere, with raised contours of silvery metal on grey, sleek, futuristic material. All in all, it looked rather foreboding.  
“Huh. What is it?” Max questions.   
“Nothing.” Forge’s face falls. “Not anymore.” Commander Ferrus begins to walk away, Max hot on his tail, as the dark grey parts begin to pulse bright blue, Turbo blue.   
“So this Turbo Energy my dad was working on? That’s why I’m fritzing things out and blowing myself up? I was exposed to the stuff?”  
“Now it seems you’re generating the stuff. We’ve been watching you for a long time, wondering what would happen.” Ignoring the oddness of that, Max asked-  
“And- you can help me?”  
“We can definitely help.” Forge and Max turn a corner and Max walks ahead, a heavy door bolting behind him as he walks out on a translucent green catwalk.  
“What is this place?” he asks.  
“This is the Turbo Chamber, Max.” his uncle’s voice now coming through a speaker. “It'll keep your power levels under control.” Max turns to look at his uncle, in a tiny room with Berto the technician. With a nod from Ferrus, Berto presses a button, and the catwalks retract, three arms extending in their place.   
“Wait.” Max chuckles nervously. “So-- I’m your prisoner?”  
“Right now this is the only way to keep you, and anyone who comes near you, safe.” Berto slides up a dial, and an arm, with pincers now opened wide, fills with an orb of blue Turbo energy. Lighting bolt like streams of energy are sucked out of Max.  
“What?” Max says, then grunts. Each of the arms now suck energy from Max, who’s eyes are beginning to glow blue.  
In it’s cage, the sphere glows. It rattles on the bottom for a moment, then lifts into the limited bit of air.   
Berto whistles. That’s a lot of energy.  
The sphere begins to spin.   
Max’s body is Turbo Energy, glowing blue as bits of it circle him like protons around a nucleus. The arms shatter, sending a blastwave of Turbo Energy around the room, knocking Forge and Berto off their feet, who look at each other. Max ducks as an arm tumbles over his head.   
“Uh, the chamber’s great and all, Uncle Ferrus! But I think it’s time to go!” Max shoots to the door, and begins to strike it as hard as he could.   
“He’s going critical!” Berto shouts, terrified.  
“Route all auxiliary power to the containment field.” Forge, though usually calm in crises, has a note of panic in his voice.  
“No good! He’s too powerful!” Berto replies. Max hits the gate again.  
The sphere spins faster, and shatters the glass-like walls of it’s prison. It darts out. Ten feet or so away from the statue and it’s former cage, it spins again, training Turbo Energy, before zooming down the hall.   
Max yells, and knocks the door out into the hallway, revealing the last project of Jim McGrath speeding towards him. Max screams and ducks, leaping back onto the island in the center of the room. Just when he thought it couldn’t get weirder, the sphere began to talk.  
“Human, you are about to overload.” a male, robotic voice enunciates over the noise.   
“Huh?” Max replies, ever eloquent. Forge’s jaw drops.  
“Steel?” He askes breathlessly. “That’s not possible!”  
“What’s happening to me?” Max asks, through terrified and out the other side. The sphere begins to spin again, then explodes in a blast of blue light and odd shapes. Time seems to stand still. The spot where the sphere was glowed the brightest, for a second, before fading to reveal a small, hovering robot, consisting of two arm-like things and a body fitted with a screen, showing an eye.  
“Human, if you’re agreeable…” the robot says, and glides over to Max, who makes a little sound. “My matrix can halt your Turbo detonation and together we can ah… flee.” the robot flops one little arm over Max’s glowing shoulder.   
“Whoa, whoa, wait.” Max exclaims. “You can stop me from blowing up and get me out of here?”  
“Did I not just say that?” the robot blinks, all attitude.   
“What do I have to do?” Max asks, thinking it’s too good to be true.   
“Just sit back and leave the driving to N’Baro Akstteell X377.”   
“N-bagel ecchh-who?” Max butchers. The tiny robot heaved a sigh.  
“Just call me Steel, yeah?”  
“I- this is crazy.”  
“Crazy? You ain’t seen nothing yet.” N’Baro Akstteell X377 brought his arms up and bent as close as possible to himself, before locking them out rigid in a sort of M shape in a burst of Turbo Energy. He slammed back into Max’s chest, and all the light and odd shapes gathered into Max, who was glowing like a supernova. The funny shapes layered onto him like paint, forming sleek blue and white boots, gloves, armor, and putting Max out. Finally normal, Max stared at his hands.  
“I- I feel… AMAZING!” Max says. Meanwhile, Forge’s jaw tightened. Alarms begin to sound and soldiers fill the hallways.  
“Stop them! But don’t hurt them.” Forge vaults over a railing.   
Initiating countermeasures in 3… Steel’s voice echoes through Max’s head.  
“Whoa, whoa… are you inside my head?  
2… Steel sounds bored.  
“Uh… Steel?!”  
...1. Max is suddenly flying through the air at the soldiers, slugging one hard across the face and driving another’s head into the ground. Steel, through Max, tosses one in the air and uses both feet to kick Jefferson before throwing him too.   
“Sorry!!” Max yells. He beats Forge to the ground too, easily. “Sorry, Uncle Ferrus!” Max runs forward before mounting a motorcycle, involuntarily. His hand revs the engine even as Forge, Jefferson, and Kat run towards him. “Hey, the helmets a nice touch.” Max comments as one materializes over his head, blue over the eyes and cheek in a roughly Steel shape, silver over the brow, chin, and cheekbones, and black over his mouth, forehead, and crown. “Wait! I can’t drive this thing!”  
You are not driving. Steel replies, sassy, just as the bike takes off with a screech of tires.   
“Deactivate holo-bridge alpha-bravo 9!” Forge orders, the bridge peeling away as Max and Steel drive up to the spaceship room, blocking the exit. Steel guns it, steering up the ramp made of spaceship wing and getting airborne in a burst of Turbo Energy. They hit the floor with a screech, safe on the other side, as two soldiers run up to block his path.  
“I’m really sorry about this!” Max says almost pleadingly. Steel twists the bike so it knocks them both down.   
Outside, a whole side of a mountain disappears. Max and Steel speed out, on a stolen motorcycle. A bolt of Turbo Energy travels down Max’s arm into the bike, and several readouts begin blinking red.  
“My Turbo Power’s affecting the bike! It’s out of control!” Max screams.   
No matter. Steel says, in his mind. It’s not much use to us now anyway. The helmet disappears. Max starts yelling, as the bike plunges over a cliff.   
About halfway down, green cables shoot out the top, and form a parachute.   
“Really. You couldn’t mention this thing comes with a parachute?” Max says, shaken.  
What is your designation, human?  
“Oh, oh, my name? Maxwell. Maxwell McGrath. And… and what are you?”   
I am a techno-organic X377 Omega Class Bio-Parasitic Ultralink Warrior. My matrix is powered by Turbo Energy. You have reactivated me.  
“My mistake.” Max jokes. “Now… get this monkey suit offa me and get outta my head, would ya?” Max says, tugging at the armor on his shoulder, then slamming his chest where Steel joined with him.  
Cease striking this unit! Suddenly, Max’s arm stops, and he slaps himself hard across the face.  
“OW! You hit me? You hit me with my own hand!” he slaps himself again. “Ow! Not cool, okay?” Steel flies out of his chest, Turbo particles dissipating around him. “How are you doing that, anyway?”  
“We are Ultralinked. I am designed to absorb and control my host’s energy. Once an Ultralink has bonded with it’s host, the connection is unbreakable.” Steel’s voice reverberates through the air now, as he gestures.  
“Unbreakable?” Max asks. “Wait, are you saying I’m stuck with you for the rest of my life?” Steel sighs, drawn out.   
“No, I am stuck with you for the rest of my life.”   
“Aw, this totally stinks.” Just then, the bike jolts against the ground, and Max falls off, flat on his face, with a groan. “I think I hate you.” he says to the little robot, hovering in the air.   
“This is no time for rest! Up!” as Steel’s arm’s go up, so does Max, off the ground and into an upright position.  
“Hey! HEY!” Max yells in protest. Steel shushes him. With a swipe of his arm, several hologram interfaces appear.  
“Running complete diagnostic of core matrix functionality. Hmm…” he taps the ends of his arms together, before making Max stand on one hand. Then Max stands of two feet, chest thrown out, one arm curved a little out from him, one pointing up it the air with its index finger. Max grunts. Then he slams his arms and legs together, like a board. He brings his arms up in a circle above his head like a ballerina. Cue the figure skater like position with one leg out behind him and his arms spread. Then, Steel makes him squat and jump into the air, landing hard on his chest. “Everything seems to check out… except… damage to my memory core.” behind him, Max grits his teeth and his eyes glow blue. “But I-- I can’t remember how.” at that, Max grabs one of Steels arms and then the other, holding him tightly in front of him, at arm’s length.  
“Listen, Robot McSpacePants.” his eyes are alight with dangerous blue flame. “Maxwell McGrath is nobody’s puppet-” Steel begins to vibrate, glowing blue. “Hey. What’re you doing?”   
“I am not doing anything!” Steel sparks where his arms meet his body, the yellow a stark contrast from the sky blue of Turbo Energy. His eye flickers to an exclamation point, then a spiral, then back to normal. “Your energy output is overriding my Turbo dampeners!” his eye flasher to a couple more different symbols, faster than Max could recognize.  
“Well, make it stop!” Max exclaims in a panic.  
“Detonation in 3…”  
“Oh no, no, no- don’t count down again.”  
“...2…”  
“What should I do!”   
“...1… throw me!”   
“What?”   
“Throw me NOW!” Max obeys, hurling him as far as he can, as Steel yells. He makes contact with a mountain in a huge explosion, crashing to the bottom. A rock then falls on him, flattening him.   
“Steel!!” Max hurries over to the rock, lifting it off Steel with a grunt. A sparking, oddly bent Steel is revealed. “You ok there, buddy?”  
“Apparently, Maxwell,” Steel floats off the ground, looking ok, if a little dazed. “We make a painfully explosive combination.” Steel sparks again, falling.   
“That was pretty awesome.” Max comments, looking at the little Ultralink. “Hmm. I wonder what else you can do? I mean, we. Us?”  
“My technological acumen combined with your Turbo powers? Probably a great deal.” Steel replies, rising from the ground once more.   
“Well, let's find out. Um… Go Turbo?” Max says as Steel joins once more in a burst of bright blue light. “Hmm. I don’t feel any different.  
“‘Go Turbo’? Really?”  
“I dunno. I thought it would be cool. Like a catch-phrase or something? Like a superhero? You know… up, up, and away?”  
“Oy. Let’s try it again.”   
“Go Turbo!” Max yells, this time with more confidence. The blue light surrounds him again. “Gah! We’re on fire!” Max hollars. He pats out the flames on his legs. “What did you do this time?!”   
“It wasn’t me!” Steel replies indignantly.   
“Well, it- it wasn’t me!” Max responds, kind of lamely.   
“It. Was. Me!” a flaming monster appears at the top of a mountain, speaking in a low voice. He roars.   
“I never thought I’d hear myself ask this question, but: is that a fire monster coming at us?”  
“Affirmative.” Steel answers.   
“Huh. I don’t suppose you could whip us up a fire extinguisher?”  
“Negative. Look out!” Steel yells from Max’s chest, because the fire monster has reached them and is leaping towards them. He hurls a fireball at the pair, causing them to jump out of the way.   
“Come with me or meet your end.” it is not a question that issues from the beast’s overly fanged mouth.   
“Ya know, I’m not having such a good day today, so thanks but uh, no thanks.” Max was extremely glad to have his ability to have comebacks even when terrified.   
“So be it.” the beast leaps into the air and when he comes down, the fists he slams into the dusty canyon floor ignites a ring of fire around Max and Steel, as tall as Max.   
“Whoa. Can we take him?” he mutters to Steel.   
“Hmm. Insufficient data.” Max looks up and he beholds the fire giant, bounding towards him, oblivious to the fire. As he makes a grab, Max leaps and uses his back as a platform to leap over the rings. “Uh. Maxwell? Your hands!!”  
“Yahh!!” his hands are both on fire. He shakes them out. The fire beast uses the opening and backhands Max hard, and he’s flying backwards. His head and shoulders hang over a cliff. “Okay, this isn’t working.”  
“Clearly.” Steel returns. Max slides out of the way as Mr. Fire Incarnate hurls a bright orange fireball at him.  
“What if I throw you again?” Max asks.   
“Let’s not and say we did.” Steel replies. Max does a somersault to dodge another. “What we need is more power!”   
“That I can do!”   
“Hold on.. Scanning for modes. Ah! Try this on for size!”  
“Go Turbo, STRENGTH!” Max yells with all his might. A shifting blue runs down his arms, held out at his sides, before Max arcs his back, the Turbo light show playing with him in the center. When the light and shapes come together, Max is huge, with massive disproportionate shoulders, arms, and hands. His chest is gargantuan as well, his head the same size, but his height increased. His feet are a little larger too, with spikes on his knees. “Look at me!” The monster does, and surges forward again.   
“Defense Protocol X795.” Steel says, as an explanation, with a note of pride in his voice.  
“Yeah, alright. Turbo Strength Mode it is!” he leans back to avoid a fireball.   
“You are Ultralink?” the monster looks confused, but doesn’t stop in it’s assault. “No matter.” Max barely has time to look surprised before the monster hits him, sending them all tumbling. Max stands and throws the monster, before leaping into the air and coming down hard, elbow first. Suddenly, the beast is gone, and reappears behind him. Fire dude brings his fists down at Max, who grabs one in each hand. “Yes. Make this interesting for me.” the monster taunts.   
“Surface temperature rising rapidly!” Steel warns. “We need more power!”   
“Hmm. Shall I turn up the heat?” Fire asks. Max is on fire, stumbling backwards. Fire hurls another fireball at him.  
“You can blast me all you want, you pyromaniac. The suit’s fireproof!”  
“And air conditioned!” Steel adds triumphantly.  
“Then I’ll simply rip you from your shell!” Fire yells, as Max charges. Fire grabs him by the head and punched him, before throwing him.   
“Core system offline!” Steel states, as Max reverts back to his normal mode. The monster runs at him again, swinging him up by his feet. Fire slams him into the ground.  
“I will crack you open like a-” with that, Fire hurls Max so far, he’s gone. “Oops.”   
“Don’t suppose this suit has a built in parachute?!” Max cries, soaring through the air.   
“That’s a negative!” Steel responds.   
“Well then, it’s been nice knowin’ ya!”  
“Really?” Steel asks hopefully.   
“No!” Max shouts back. “Not really!!” he’s definitely falling now.


	3. chapter 2....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ok thats it. theres no more. this is 17 pages long and im not writing any more dont test me

Chapter Two  
“Steel, before we hit rock bottom, literally, I just want you to know one thing…  
Yes, Max?  
“I blame you for this!” shrieking, Max almost hits the bottom, when an N-Tek jet zooms around the corner. It catches him with a green field, his nose centimeters from the bottom, before he’s yanked up and away towards the jet screaming. He’s pulled inside, tumbling across the ground. Max stands up and runs through the door, Steel in close pursuit above his shoulder. “We’re alive!”   
“Strap up and pipe down.” Forge growls. He yanks the jet in a tight turn.  
“What is going on?!” Max demands. “What was that thing?!”  
“A giant fire monster.”  
“Uh-huh.”  
“But what I wanna know is how on earth you’re still alive.”  
“Well, uncle Ferrus, sorry to disappoint you but--”  
“I’m not talking to you.” Forge butts in.  
“If you’re referring to me, sir, I can assure you it is no thanks to this… boy.” Steel points.  
“Hah! Me? If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be in this mess, ya glorified hard drive!” Max shoots back, hurt, though he wouldn’t admit it.  
“Can it, the both of you. What were you thinking? Attacking N-Tek agents? Stealing N-Tek ordnance?” Forge voice is filled with disbelief and disappointment. Steel crossed his arms.  
“We were escaping, obviously.”  
“Escaping? You weren’t a prisoner.” Forge explains.   
“I wasn’t?” Steel asks, caught off guard. “Hmm. My apologies.” the graphic used for his eye is replaced by a question mark for a brief moment.   
“I just can’t believe you’re back, Steel.”  
“Hold on!” Max interrupts. “You told me this… thing was my dad’s science project. You didn’t say anything about him being your long lost buddy.”  
“We all thought you were… well, after the accident- with Jim…. It’s good to see you.”  
“I wish I could say the same, sir, but I have no recollection of you.” Steel says, almost embarrassed.   
“Yeah, he says his memory core is damaged or something.”  
“Unfortunate.” the moment with Forge is gone, he’s much more businesslike now. “On the bright side, now that you two are Ultralinked, Steel can help regulate your Turbo Energy. You are Ultralinked?”  
“If you mean do I hear his annoying voice in my head? Yeah.” Max sighs.   
“And sadly for me, it is completely irreversible.” Steel adds.  
“No, that can’t be right. You can get him offa me, right?!” he pleads.   
“Nope.” Forge says simply.   
“So I’m married to this toaster?!”  
“Yup.” Forge sounds really done with this crap.  
“My life is ruined…” moaned Max.   
“Tell me about it.” Steel replies.   
“Enough. Here’s the drill: One- Steel, you’re going to suppress Max’s energy signature.”  
“Huh?” Max asks.  
“That’s how the Fire Elementor tracked him, isn’t it?”  
“Yes. And others will follow.”  
“Uh…”  
“Initiating Turbo Dampening protocols.” Steel connects with Max again. From Max’s chest, he adds, “Signature suppressed.”  
***  
Somewhere in a THI office, a signal was lost.  
“Sir, I-- er--- I have some bad news.”  
***  
“Two- tomorrow you both report to N-Tek for testing. And three- no one is to mention any of this to your mom! She’ll kill us if she finds out!” the last sentence in unison with Max.   
The N-Tek jet zips over to Copper Canyon. 

***  
“What do you mean we’ve lost the Turbo Energy signature?!” the man on the screen snarls.  
“Well… I don’t know. It just vanished! Shall we resume our initial plan?” Naught replies.   
“No! You will find me the source of that Turbo Energy or you will find yourself terminally unemployed!”   
“Well alright then.”  
Somewhere else in THI, a figure drops from the vent. It’s in grey armor, with a yellow, vertical line over their face. They press a button to their temple, scanning the hallway with a yellow beam, revealing the lasers defending it. The figure, a feminine shape, crouches low to the floor. Sprinting gracefully along, she dives, rolls, and leaps with ease over and around the lasers. Coming to the end and landing in a squat, she peers around a corner. Her helmet scans the interface in front of her, and another yellow tinted one opens above it, when she is interrupted by the clearing of a throat. She turns her head to behold to huge bald men in suits and sunglasses. The expressions on their face are somewhere between “how cute,” and “this is gonna be fun.”  
She tilts her head, then leaps up at their faces, flipping one above her head as the other grabs her from behind. She rams her head back into his face, and he lets go of her in shock. She kicks him across the face and sends him flying into the interface, which unlocks a door. Success.   
She enters the room, cool as a cucumber. It’s an empty Mr. Naught’s office. Striding up to the desk, she takes a grey file off the surface. Opening it, it is scanned with amazing efficiency. She closes it with a soft thud then ducks under the desk to press the red button underneath. She leans back into the chair as it descends. When she reaches the bottom, she begins to type on the computer, swiping once. She scans the screen, then without wasting a second the chair raises her up again.   
***  
“Thanks for the ride, Uncle Ferrus.” Max says.  
“Remember, keep a low profile.”  
“Low profile. Got it.” Max is already jogging towards the door, Steel right behind. He holds a finger to his lips, then promptly trips and crashes into a stack of boxes, with a large amount of clanging and yelling.   
“Max? Is that you, hon?” a light spills across the room from the hallway.  
“Oh no, oh man. Busted!” He opens the closet next to him and shoves Steel in.   
“Max, is that… what are you wearing?” Max is fully decked out winter type clothes over the Steel suit by the time his mother walks in.  
“Oh, this? Uh, is it a bit nippy in here or is it just me?” Max blurts.  
“Is everything okay?” Max’s mother asks. She puts a hand on his forehead, taking his temperature. “Are you coming down with something?” She follows up, suddenly suspicious.   
“No! I mean… I mean yes!” Steel pokes the door open. “Yes, maybe. That would explain the coat, right?” Steel floats out and hovers by Mrs. McGrath’s mother, inspecting her, while she looks sceptical. Max’s eyes flit to Steel for a half second, but she catches it. She turns, and looks right where Steel was, as he move to look at the other side of her head, end of arm at his mouth. While her head is turned, Max makes a grab for Steel, and hides him awkwardly under his arm. “Well, good night!” he goes to leave out the door, to duck through, but only succeeds in banging his head on the closed door. “Ha! That door was closed. Oops.” he opens the door and slips through, leaving his mother to sigh and wonder if there were drugs involved.   
“Oh boy…” in the other room, Max runs his hand down his face, Steel over his shoulder.   
***  
Green eyes search the orange display from the comfort of the N-Tek tablet, before widening and snatching a phone. The owner of the eyes uses their hand to press a button. Mrs. McGrath tosses the N-Tek tablet onto the couch, where it rests with a strange grey helmet with a yellow slit vertically on the front.   
“Forge? We need to meet.”  
***  
Max wakes up the next morning, still in his armor. He yawns and brings his hand up to his face.   
“So much for hoping it was all just a bad dream.” Max comments, turning his hand over. “Steel?”  
“Max!” his mother calls, her voice muffled by the door. She knocks.   
“Oh no…” Max groans. He opens the door and pokes his head out. “Hey, mom! Everything… good?”  
“Just wanted to make sure you’re up. You need to be out the door in 15.”  
“Love you too, Mom.” Max is careful to keep his body behind the door. He shuts it, and sighs. Suddenly, his closet opens, and a giant ball of clothing floats out. Max yelps. He backs up, tripping over backward. “I’m okay! Situation normal!” Max calls. “What is wrong with you?” Max says to Steel, who has emerged from the pile of clothes.  
“Utilizing security protocol Zed795. I spent the night scanning your clothing so I can replicate your rather, uh… unique look.” Ooh. Burn.  
“Uh-huh.” Max ignores the comment.  
“It’s unsafe for you to remove the Steel Suit, yes? But, through the use of sophisticated holographic refraction processes and advanced tactile warping algorithms, I can make it seem as though you’re wearing your everyday attire.” Max scratches his head.  
“So… camouflage mode?”  
“That’s what I just said.”  
“And you didn’t mention this yesterday because…?”  
“You didn’t ask.” Steel lifts his arm in a shrug, before rejoining with Max in a burst of blue light. When it clears, Max yells. He’s wearing white suit jacket with a white pencil skirt, forcing his legs together oddly till the knee where they bent away from his body unnaturally, with a hot pink long sleeved under shirt. To finish the outfit, he has a string of pearls around his neck and beige heels on his feet. “Ooh! My mistake. This was an outfit from your mother’s closet.”  
“Whoa. What were you doing in my mother’s--” he’s interrupted by another sudden change of clothes. Max is now wearing a red zip-up sweatshirt with a stylized version of Steel on the chest, with a grey undershirt. The sweatshirt changes color to green, then bright purple, then blue. “Whoa.” Steel disconnects with his chest and the symbol glows.   
“Not bad if I do say so myself.” Steel comments, looking in the mirror at himself and Max. Max looks at the watch on his arm, white with a green face, and black jeans with white sneakers. “You are still safely contained in the Steel Suit, but now dressed in your typical fashion. And I use the word fashion very loosely.” Max snatches Steel out of the air and shoves him into his backpack. “Nice! This is the thanks I get?”  
Back at Copper Canyon High, Max walks down the hall.  
“Hey Max, thanks for the other day. Those bullies were just about to seriously damage their fists on my face.” Kirby says.  
“No prob, Kirby!”  
“Let’s totally hang out sometime. Lemme give you my number!”  
“Sure!” he pulls out the pink, sparkly phone. It has a huge crack across the screen, and it’s a little blackened in places.   
“Dude, what’s with the pink communication device?” Kirby asks, almost giggling.  
“Oh, man. I totally forgot!” he sighs. “Sydney’s gonna kill me.”   
Who exactly is this Sydney fellow and why does he want you dead? Steel asks, in Max’s head once more.   
“Syd’s a she, not a he- look, it’s a long story-- I destroyed her phone.”   
May I see the device?  
“Man, I really messed this up…”  
MAY I SEE THE DEVICE? Steel yells in Max’s mind, and Max slams his hand into his head.   
“Ow! Not so loud.” Several girls look at him oddly, as he passes their locker.   
After school, as he enters the cafeteria, he slips the phone into his bag. “Here.” Several blue sparks tumble out of the backpack, and the phone is neatly tossed out and into his hand.  
“Max! There you are!” Sydney waves hello, approaching him. “Cool, you remembered to bring my phone!”  
“Uhhh… oh! This? Yes, sure! Here it is. And totally not broken.”  
“Oh! Max… that’s… amazing! You made me a playlist!”  
“I did?”  
You did.  
“Oh, hey, you know, just uh… no big deal. Picked out some cool tunes and--”  
“But how? My phone couldn’t even play music before.”  
“That would be because I… tinkered with it.”  
“Wow. I can’t wait to listen to it! See ya soon, Maxwell McGrath.” Max waved as Sydney left. “A playlist?!” Max said as soon as Syd was out of earshot.   
She’s nice. For a human. I can see why you like her--  
“Zip it. We gotta get to N-Tek.”  
He runs across the street. “Okay. Where did Uncle Ferrus say the entrance was?” Steel over his shoulder, he tosses a ball of Turbo Energy at the alley wall.  
“Strike 1!” Steel calls.  
“Huh.” Max throws another. As it makes contact with the wall, a door materializes.


End file.
